Brian Free & Assurance have released a music video for their excellent new song “Say Amen.” Southern Gospel music videos tend to be hit or miss, since often there’s no storyline for the video to follow. The Browns also released a new video last week for their catchy song “Everything Changes,” but it fell into that very trap because there’s nowhere interesting for the song to go visually (and no, Andrew’s sleeveless biceps don’t count). But “Say Amen” is one of the better SG videos I’ve seen, because the song allows room for someone with a good imagination to tell a story with the images. It’s not groundbreaking like the Nelons’ “Famine in Their Land,” but it’s a notch up from “Four guys/gals standing around and singing.” A good example of how it’s done:

To be honest, I don’t either. Especially the first part. I’m not sure if they’re trying to show that she is having difficulties with bills or just how much she texts. Speaking of, I guess I’m funny, but I’d like to know whose fault the accident was. The camera angles on the guys seemed a little strange. Anyway, it’s a nice song and I like their version, but the video isn’t my favorite.

I think it’s that the woman with the baby is tense and worried about something, texts while driving, hits a motorcyclist, but thank God the cyclist is okay, and they all meet with (surprise!) the BFA guys and have a meal and pray and forgive each other.

Myself, I thought it was a distracting video. They’re singing this very upbeat song while you’re still wondering if the guy she hit is going to make it!

Okay, on the Browns’ video, my take is that the room painting motif is fine and allows me to concentrate on the song, but the clothes and “attitude” are a little distracting. It’s like they are trying too hard to be…stylish or something. Especially with the shirt Andrew is wearing! The facial expressions alternate between being too cheery for the lyric meaning (aren’t we supposed to be somewhat perturbed by the fast pace of changing world?) and being “model-like” in their staring seriousness.

The story of the car and motorcycle accident is the testimony of Jim Hutson, the winner of BFA and Daywind’s contest seeking a winning storyline to include in the concept video. (To avoid that standing-around-and-singing kind of video, I assume, and because the song itself almost literally invites someone to “testify!”) The contest’s entries shared what The Lord had done in their lives to make them “Say Amen.” Of course we know how this story ends. :)

Love Finding Favour’s version, too! Though BFA’s isn’t a cover of theirs. The song was pitched to and recorded by both artists, and the lyrics are slightly different. Both versions are so great, and a blessing to have on radio! Thanks for sharing it!

That is really fascinating! Thanks for sharing. Do you know if the part about him now knowing the girl who hit him is based in reality? If she’s more a “fictitious” character, I still think that the decision to focus solely on her for so long at the beginning is a mistake. If the testimony is supposed to be Jim Hutson’s, then it seems it should focus more on him.

For Kyle Boreing. This music video is about a fellow CMA member (Christian Motorcyclists Association) of mine. He was in an motorcycle accident where a girl was texting and hit him. He now has several plates in his head but he lived. This group asked for people to submit their stories about finding God able, like the song says, “if there’s anyone here that’s found Him able, say Amen”. Motorcycle accident